Republic push reborn

David Morris has given up his diplomatic job to lead the Republican movement. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

THE Australian Republican Movement today starts its national campaign to elect an Australian head of state.

Leader David Morris and members will ask visitors to museum and art gallery MONA about Aussie values and their support for another referendum.

Mr Morris resigned from his diplomat job to take on the task.

"It's a big ask and it's time to start the conversation again," Mr Morris said.

"The first step is to find what we agree on as a nation rather than what divides us."

Mr Morris grew up in Tassie and worked for the late premier Jim Bacon.

He served as a diplomat in Dublin and Brussels before devoting his energy towards an Australian republic.

He said Australians voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent against a republic 13 years ago but recent polls showed between 60 and 70 per cent support for a republic. The Tasmanian vote was slightly more than the national tally.

Mr Morris said it was well-recognised former prime minister and staunch monarchist John Howard who divided the republican cause by convoluted wording on the referendum ballot.

"It was meant to confuse people and it worked," he said.

In a speech last month, Federal Liberal Party MP and Republican Movement founder Malcolm Turnbull labelled the Howard and Liberal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott referendum campaign "utterly dishonest".

Mr Turnbull, Tasmanian lawyer Greg Barns and author Thomas Keneally started the republican movement 20 years ago.

Mr Morris said an Australian Republic was not a campaign against the British royal family.

"Every Australian should have the possibility of becoming the head of state," he said.

"It belongs to an Australian, not to a person who lives on the other side of the world."

Mr Barns said a republic was a true reflection of a confident and independent Australia.

MONA owner David Walsh said Australia did not need another referendum on the republic.

"We just need to ask Australians 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' " he said.

"We are children in our empire's arms; it's about time we struck out on our own."

Anglicare chief Chris Jones said his main concern for the future of Australia was for those affected by poverty, not the questions of a republic or monarchy.

Former Telstra Tasmania chief telecommunications consultant Noel Hunt said a republic reflected Australian heritage.

"British heritage is extremely important but so is Aboriginal and multicultural heritage," he said.

"Australia does the most business with Asia, China and India. A lot of people want to stick with the status quo. They say there are no compelling reasons to change it. Business and cultures are compelling reasons."

State Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said Australia should have an Aussie head of state.

"It's the next step in our progress as a proud independent nation, That's as simple as it gets," he said.

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MONA owner's tax truce

David Walsh says he's entered into a confidential settlement with the ATO under which all of his tax disputes are completely resolved.

DAVID Walsh's $37 million dispute with the Australian Taxation Office is over, ensuring the Tasmanian entrepreneur can continue to develop his ground-breaking museum.

The founder of MONA, the state's most popular tourist attraction, had faced a massive tax bill on gambling profits the ATO alleged he made between 2004 and 2006.

The ATO launched Federal Court action against Mr Walsh but the issue was settled yesterday.

The news was a huge relief for the tourism industry after fears the dispute would lead to Mr Walsh moving overseas, curtailing the expansion of the highly successful Museum of Old and New Art.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said MONA had changed the face of the state's tourism forever.

Mr Martin said the museum had been the most significant development in Tasmanian tourism since the Wrest Point Casino in the 1970s and it was setting new standards for the industry.

He welcomed the resolution and hoped it meant MONA would go "onwards and upwards". It is the state's biggest attraction, with more than 450,000 visitors a year.

"Its contribution, not just through the museum, but through events such as MONA FOMA, is driving a lot of optimism," Mr Martin said.

Mr Walsh funded his large art collection and the building of MONA mostly from the profits of gambling, traditionally not taxable under Australian law.

He issued a statement yesterday to confirm the tax dispute had been settled.

"I have entered into a confidential settlement with the Commissioner under which all of their tax disputes are completely resolved," Mr Walsh said.

He said no more comment was possible under the terms of the settlement. The object of contention centred on Mr Walsh's involvement with a gambling syndicate called the Punters Club, headed by his friend Zeljko Ranogajec, and whether its earnings were windfalls or business profits.

Mr Ranogajec left the country after he was sent a tax bill reported to be many tens of million of dollars. He was seen as the world's biggest punter, with an operation which employed more than 300 people.

When it became public that Mr Walsh faced a multi-million-dollar retrospective tax bill earlier this year, it triggered an outcry from Tasmanians fearing he would move overseas and deprive MONA of his drive and inspiration.

A "Save MONA" Facebook campaign attracted thousands of supporters.

Independent MP for Denison Andrew Wilkie said he believed the retrospective bill was unjust and former Greens leader Bob Brown called for Federal Government intervention. The Government said politicians had no authority to interfere in the work of the Commissioner of Taxation.

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WA devils remain on the run

Hand-reared Tasmanian devils Itchy and Scratchy, pictured here in August last year, are among the three escapees. Picture: THEO FAKOS

WEST Australian zoo owner David Cobbold says he feels like a "pining parent" as he continues to search for his three runaway Tasmanian devils.

The feisty trio escaped overnight on Tuesday after a tree crashed into their enclosure at Peel Zoo at Pinjarra, about 80km south of Perth.

Mr Cobbold spent today scouring paddocks around Pinjarra as he followed up on snippets of information about the runaways.

He said he felt like a pining parent who had lost a child.

"I just want them to be safe and warm and fed. Two were hand-reared and I am desperate to locate them," he said.

The juvenile devils -- called Itchy, Scratchy and Genghis -- are offspring from animals bought from East Coast Natureworld, at Bicheno, in 2010.

Paw prints were found behind the zoo shortly after the breakout.

Then, at 7am today, a truck driver reported seeing "two little bears" crossing the road.

There has also been an unverified sighting of a devil at a nearby golf club.

This afternoon a report came in that a devil had been sighted about 70km south of the zoo.

"Devils can travel 20km a night," Mr Cobbold said.

"My gut feeling tells me they are closer to home.

"I don't want to discount anything, so we will follow up on any tip."

Traps were laid last night in a desperate bid to catch the devils.

"But there was not so much as a nibble on the meat inside," Mr Cobbold said.

"We didn't even catch a possum."

Like any worried parent, Mr Cobbold said he couldn't wait to give the three "amigos" a good talking to when they were found – hopefully safe and well.

He said the local community had been very supportive of the zoo's efforts to recapture the devils, with regular posts on the zoo's Facebook page providing useful clues.

The search will continue tomorrow.

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Green bid for Sorell mayor

GREENS mayoral candidate Sharon Prior is hoping her anti-dump stance will  win the support of Sorell voters in a by-election later this month.

Ms Prior, 53, today said she believed the council could reverse its decision to approve a planning permit for the controversial contaminated waste cell at the Copping landfill.

"I believe that the whole process was flawed from the beginning," Ms Prior said.

She said the Liberal and Labor parties made their position on the project clear by refusing to back a Greens motion in Parliament on Wednesday. The motion asked that the matter be reviewed by the Environment, Resources and Development Committee.

The two parties accused the Greens of attempting to undermine development approval processes and the Environmental Protection Authority, which assessed the Southern Waste Solutions project.

The Sorell by-election comes after long-serving mayor Carmel Torenius quit amid bitter divisions over council mergers and new $4.5 million council chambers.

Ms Prior has lived in the area for 40 years and was a Sorell councillor from 2002 to 2007. She works as a tour guide and team leader for a conservation group.

The other mayoral candidates are incumbent councillors Kerry Degrassi and Kerry Vincent, as well as local identity John the Duke of Avram.

Candidates for councillor are Rob Leach, John the Duke of Avram, Judy Young and Ms Prior.

Postal ballot packs for the by-election will be delivered between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, with the poll closing on November 6.

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Road deaths top 2011 toll

HOPES of Tasmania's road toll continuing to fall, after a record low number of deaths last year, have been dashed.

A fatal crash near Penguin yesterday morning pushed the number of fatalities recorded so far this year to 25.

And with 10 weeks of the year remaining, authorities fear more lives will be lost before New Year's Day.

Last year's road toll of 24 was the lowest recorded in Tasmania.

It was a significant improvement on the 130 deaths posted in 1971 and the 63 fatalities in 2009.

Yesterday's fatal crash happened at 7.40am on the Bass Highway near Sulphur Creek.

A 40-year-old woman from Devonport died when her car veered across the highway.

The vehicle hit and mounted the median strip fence, rolled and came to rest in a cattle culvert.

The out-of-control vehicle narrowly missed cars travelling east on the highway.

Alcohol, drugs and speed are not believed to be contributing factors in the crash.

The woman's death follows the loss of six lives in September, including three in a single mini-bus crash on the Bass Highway at Elizabeth Town.

A Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources spokesman said the recent spate of fatalities were not indicative of a trend.

"While every death or serious injury is tragic, this year's low road toll is excellent by historical standards," the spokesman said yesterday.

But authorities have warned that there was still no room for complacency on our roads.

"Because the number of fatalities in Tasmania is quite low, they are subject to volatility," the spokesman said.

Since 2005, the number of serious injuries and deaths on Tasmania's roads have fallen by 31 per cent.

"We are on the right track but there is more to do," the DIER spokesman said.

Safer roads, safer vehicles and safer drivers have all contributed to the decline, authorities say.

Four pedestrians have been killed on Tasmania's roads this year and DIER said pedestrians also needed to be responsible road users and take notice, wear appropriate clothing and take care when crossing roads.

Motorists also have been asked to take extra care to protect pedestrians, especially in busy, built-up areas.

A road crash fatality is defined as any person who was killed outright or died within 30 days as a result of a crash.

Deaths which occur more than 30 days after a crash are included in the serious injury (leading to death) statistics.

Fatalities on private property and public spaces such as carparks are included in the road toll.

helen.kempton@news.com.au

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Class of little white lies

PARENTS are lying about where they live so they can send their child to a school of their choice.

A review of school enrolment policies is being finalised and the State Government wants to tighten rules so children will need a strong reason not to go to the school in their area.

But families are already going to great lengths, including falsifying application forms, to secure enrolment at a school they consider better.

Australian Education Union president Terry Polglase said schools were in a difficult position.

"This is undermining a system to support the notion of choice, but what can schools do?" he said.

"They can't kick students out. We're there to educate, not to police. Whatever the minister decides will need to be supported."

The School Viability Reference Group recommended reviewing school boundaries, catchment areas and enrolment. Catchment areas and boundaries are also being re-drawn, so some families will find they fall into a different school zone from the one they are now in.

The union has raised concerns about the freedom of choice in Tasmania because some schools are emptying while more popular schools, especially in inner Hobart, are full or close to closing their doors to people outside the area.

The policy also leads to millions of dollars a year in subsidies for bus travel to schools out of a child's area.

One leader in the school sector said falsifying addresses was "happening all the time, people make jokes about it".

With the growing number of families with two working parents, many also want to send their children to school near their work or near grandparents.

Schools have a list of circumstances that allow children from "out of area" to enrol.

Department of Education Learning Services South general manager Judy Travers said that confirmation of address was required for enrolments.

But in reality, many people used relatives', friends' or even work addresses.

Parents and Friends president Jenny Eddington said schools struggling for enrolments were keen to have stronger enforcement.

"Some schools, particularly rural schools, are fairly adamant they want the rules to be stricter," Ms Eddington said.

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Shiploads on a wave

DISCOUNT store Shiploads has wasted no time in moving into the vacuum left by the recent closure of the Huonville Chickenfeed store.

Managing director Ashley Wilson said the chain's fifth store would create 25 permanent and casual jobs by late November.

He said the recently closed Chickenfeed store in Huonville had created an opportunity to open in an area needing employment opportunities and true discount retailing.

"We have been looking to open in the Huon for some months after demand from customers shopping at other Shiploads stores," he said.

"The opportunity to open a store earlier than planned means that Huon customers will have a local discount store to serve their needs before Christmas."

Mr Wilson said the store was about to undergo renovations.

"The shop will carry the same range as its sister store in Kingston," he said.

The 25 new jobs would take to 200 the number employed at the "extreme value discount chain" with other stores at Cambridge, Kingston, Bridgewater and Glenorchy.

Mr Wilson, a former senior executive at Chickenfeed, has built up Shiploads in the past three years and plans stores in Devonport and Launceston. Shiploads was also examining other opportunities across the state.

Rival Chickenfeed has closed eight stores in recent months and parent company Retail Adventures lost $35 million in 2011-12.

A number of the group's Tasmanian stores are losing money and Retail Adventures has a number of disputes with landlords from Queensland to Victoria.

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Now for the perfect chip

CHIPS will be free of those ugly black flecks, thanks to new Tasmanian-bred potato varieties.

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture plant pathologist Calum Wilson has scored a major victory in a decade-long war against the potato common scab bacterial disease.

The disease causes corky scab-like lesions on tubers of the world's most important chip potato variety, russet burbank.

It forces potato processors to either reject the spuds, or to peel off large parts of them. Occasionally the unappetising discolourations make it through into the fries.

To beat the problem, Prof Wilson has gone where nobody has gone before with potatoes.

He pulverised the stems of russet burbank potato plants, breaking them down into individual cells, before using tissue-culture techniques to transform the cells into new plants.

The tissue cultures were then laced with toxins produced by the scab micro-organism.

The toxins caused most of the cultures to fail but the survivors developed into potato plants that were resistant to the scab disease.

The institute, a joint venture between the University of Tasmania and the State Government, is seeking commercial partners to put two of Prof Wilson's most promising lines into Australian supermarkets. The hope is they will eventually also make international markets. Royalties would flow to the institute.

"One of those varieties, by chance, out-yields its parent [russet burbank] by 10 to 20 per cent," Prof Wilson said.

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Man injured in late-night fight

POLICE are investigating a brawl between two men in Salamanca on Friday night.

One man was allegedly repeatedly hit on the head with a glass bottle.

The fight took place at 11.50pm at the intersection of Castray Esplanade and Salamanca Place, opposite the silos.

One man received cuts and abrasions to his face as a result of the assault.

Police are appealing witnesses who may have seen the incident.

Any witnesses are encouraged to contact Constable Elise Clark at Hobart Police Station on 6230 2111 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Car clue to Barker murder

Four frame grabs from CCTV footage show the white Toyota Hilux ute that police believe may have been involved in the murder of Shane Barker in 2009.

POLICE believe they are closing in on the murderer of Campbell Town man Shane Barker.

Recent information provided to detectives investigating Mr Barker's shooting death in 2009 has supported previous information about a vehicle that may have been used in the murder.

Police have today re-released the details of this vehicle along with CCTV footage of a vehicle seen in the area about the time of the murder.

The white Toyota Hilux dual cab utility, which has a canopy attached, was last seen heading south on the main street of Campbell Town.

Police are appealing for anyone with any information about the murder to ring Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Launceston CIB on 6336 3701.

A reward of $50,000 is still in place for information that leads to a conviction.

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